Why?

1. Why? Why We Do Not Use Instrumental Music In Worship

2. Need For Study • “The elders want to provide you with a statement about a question that may have been raised. That question has to do with the use of musical instruments in our worship. After many months of careful study and consideration, the elders unanimously concluded that there is no Biblical prohibition of the use of mechanical instruments in worship.

3. Need For Study • “We recognize the issue as a matter of diverse opinion and feel that any discussion in the future should be conducted in a manner that avoids division. We merely want to state that consensus to you today without any prediction of what that mean to our worship services. Our worship style may or may not change, but we are in no hurry to change.

4. Need For Study • “We are highly sensitive to your feelings, and we want to hear your thoughts and wishes. Talk to your elders about it. Your feedback will help us as we intend to offer teaching on this matter. We are insistent on allowing God, through our prayers, to lead us in all aspects of our church family.” (The Elders of Oak Hills Church of Christ, San Antonio, TX) • Appeared in Oak Hills Bulletin, September 5, 1999

5. Need For Study • “Most Churches of Christ feature only a cappella singing, a tradition King said (Vic King, minister of missions and outreach, mg) is based on the absence of the use of instruments in the N.T. churches. But for the first time, Oak Hills will add instruments to a new Sunday evening service, which will be geared toward young adults and will begin early next year.” (San Antonio Express-News, Saturday, September 6, 2003)

6. We don’t like it • We can’t afford it • We’ve never had it It Is Not Because:

7. Why We Do Not Use Instrumental Music In Worship I. It Is Not Authorized

8. Kinds Of Music • Vocal Music • Singing • Humming • Yodeling • Mechanical Instrumental Music • String • Wind • Reed, Brass, Percussion

9. Kinds Of Music • Vocal Music • Singing • Humming • Yodelling • Vocal Music • Singing • Psalms • Hymns • Spiritual Songs • Teaching & Admonishing (Col. 3:16) • Speaking… (Eph. 5:19

10. It Is Not Authorized Must Have Bible Authority- Mt. 21:23-27 • God, because He is God - has authority over man (Gen. 1:1) • He speaks to us through His Son. (Heb. 1:1-2) • Must abide by His authority Heb. 8:5 Col. 3:17-18 2 John 9

11. Illustrated Lord’s Supper Acts 15 Circumcision Command/ Direct Statement Necessary Inference • vv. 13-21 • v. 12 • vv. 7-11 Observance 1 Cor. 11:23-24 Time of Ob. Acts 20:7 Frequency Acts 20:7 How To Determine What Is Authorized Approved Example

12. It Is Not Authorized Must Have Bible Authority Silence of God Prohibitive

13. Two Mindsets God’s Silence Is Not Authority Permissive At liberty to do what is not condemned Prohibitive Forbidden to act Without authority Heb. 7:14 “For it is evident that our Lord hath sprung out of Judah, as to which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priests”

14. It Is Not Authorized Must Have Bible Authority Silence of God Prohibitive Heb. 7:14 Moses spake NOTHING about tribe of JUDAH God Did Not Say: Not to use strange fire (Lev..10) Not to use oak wood (Gen. 6)

15. It Is Not Authorized Must Have Bible Authority Silence of God Prohibitive God only Authorized Singing

16. Singing Is All That God Has Authorized It Is All He Has Spoken

17. It Is Not Authorized Must Have Bible Authority Silence of God Prohibitive God only Authorized Singing No Passage Authorizes Inst. Music

18. Why We Do Not Use Instrumental Music In Worship I. It Is Not Authorized II. God Has Specified Singing

19. Singing Is All That God Has Authorized

20. Singing Is All ThatGod Has Authorized • Definition: “psallo” (make melody) • “a. to pluck off, pull out: b. to cause to vibrate by touching, to twang: to touch or strike the chord, to twang the strings of a musical instrument so that they gently vibrate … in the New Testament to sing a hymn, to celebrate the praises of God in song” (Thayer, p. 675). Instrument is the heart!

21. Generic & Specific Authority

22. Why We Do Not Use Instrumental Music In Worship I. It Is Not Authorized II. God Has Specified Singing III. It Is An Addition To God’s Word

23. Must Not Add To Or Take From The Word of God Deut. 4:2 Num. 22:18 Prov. 30:5-7 Rev. 22:18-19 STOP

24. Aids Are Authorized, Additions Are Not An Addition Involves Another Element Being Added!

25. If One Why Not The Other? “I like it” “Just an aid” “It helps the singing / Lord’s Supper” “God didn’t say not to”

26. Why We Do Not Use Instrumental Music In Worship I. It Is Not Authorized II. God Has Specified Singing III. It Is An Addition To God’s Word

27. History Of Instrumental Music In Worship “The Greek word ‘psallo’ is applied among the Greeks of modern times exclusively to sacred music, which in the Eastern Church has never been any other than vocal, instrumental music being unknown in that church, as it was in the primitive church…” (McClintock & Strong, Vol. 8, p. 739).

28. History Of Instrumental Music In Worship “It is not, therefore, strange that instrumental music was not heard in their congregational services … In the early church the whole congregation joined in the singing, but instrumental music did not accompany the praise” (W. D. Killen, The Ancient Church, pp. 193, 423).

29. History Of Instrumental Music In Worship The American Encyclopedia says, “Pope Vitalian is related to have first introduced organs into some of the churches of Western Europe about 670 but the earliest trustworthy account is that of one sent as a present by the Greek emperor Constantine Copronymus to Pepin, king of Franks in 755" (Volume 12, p. 688).

30. History Of Instrumental Music In Worship The Chambers Encyclopedia (Vol. 7, p. 112) says, “The organ is said to have been introduced into church music by Pope Vitalian in 666 A.D.”

31. Why We Do Not Use Instrumental Music In Worship I. It Is Not Authorized II. God Has Specified Singing III. It Is An Addition To God’s Word